North Carolina fights back against Critical Race Theory

In the summer of 2020, Google searches for police brutality and systematic racism skyrocketed. Captivated by the media attention devoted to the murder of George Floyd and other African Americans by police officers, the public was quickly convinced that America is a racist nation.  Politicians and other social activists saw the public attention as a political opportunity and sought to enact reforms in the education system to indoctrinate children with the same anti-American ideology infecting society overall. As a result, children are told to simulate Black Power rallies and read flawed history lessons from Nikole Hannah-Jones’s 1619 Project.

Last month, the North Carolina General Assembly took steps to limit the way racism can be discussed in the classroom, passing HB 324 which prevents students from being taught that an individual can be racist or sexist solely based on their race or gender. The governors of both Oklahoma and Idaho enacted similar legislation that promotes a positive view of America’s founding. To protect the principles that made this nation great, other states should follow the lead of these proactive legislatures.

Critical Race Theory emerged in the 1970s and throughout periods of desegregation. Scholar Derrick Bell challenged the idea of judicial neutrality, objective truth, and constitutional validity arguing that these institutions had been corrupted to prevent African Americans from succeeding. Decades later, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the now-overused term and introduced the idea of intersectionality, an analytical framework used to understand one’s privilege or oppression. While the intent of Critical Race Theory may have been pure at its inception, it has since been corrupted by academics and activists with perverse political motives. Today, parents of public school children are told to “reflect on their whiteness” and consider how it may play into the institutionalized oppression of minority groups, and university students are reprimanded for sharing their faith on campus because it makes others uncomfortable.

The earlier cultural Marxism is introduced to children, the larger and larger the head start awarded to the left becomes. Currently, American society is split between those who believe America is the greatest country on earth and those who believe it is inherently evil at its founding. When left-wing politicians discuss “dismantling white supremacy,” they are insinuating that they intend to destroy the foundation of this nation and replace it with a new system focused on equity. The words equality and equity are often used interchangeably, but the words have two very distinct definitions. If the people of a country are equal, they have the equal opportunity and equal freedoms afforded to them. In America, this includes the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the inalienable rights acknowledged to all in the Declaration of Independence. Equity, on the other hand, implies that every individual receives the same outcome regardless of their input. The difference between these two words represents the ideological battle underway in our nation. One side believes people should be empowered with freedoms to succeed, while the other side believes the government should intervene every step of the way to ensure that everyone reaches the same point.

In a nation in which everyone is guaranteed to experience the same amount of success, what incentives exist to work hard? Consider Fidel Castro’s impact on Cuba, where doctors are paid less than taxi drivers, what would encourage an individual to become a medical professional for the benefit of society? From a macro perspective, it would be difficult for our nation to innovate technologically or medically if no monetary reward exists. Socialism, in theory, is a great idea, but in practice is unfeasible. America’s success is derived from its competitive spirit, a belief critical race theory is attempting to demonize. In an effort to protect this great country for future generations, more states should follow North Carolina’s example and introduce legislation to fight back against the left’s attempt to control the beliefs of the youth.

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